The announcement read: "Today we are revealing to our top fans the fact that The Sims 4 is coming to PC and Mac in 2014.

"The Sims franchise is fueled by the passion and creativity of its millions of fans around the world.

"Their continued devotion to the franchise ignites the fire of creativity of the team at The Sims Studio, driving them to continually improve and innovate on one of the world's most successful simulation game that has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide."

It has also been revealed that the title will not require an internet connection after EA told IGN that it will allow for "single-player and offline" play.

The company promised that more information will be revealed shortly and invited fans to tweet their excitement for the game using the hashtag #TheSims4.